Means fob controlling the opesatiqst of boosteb motors ob attxiliaby



"Nov. 8, 1927; 1,648,024

R. J. M CARTY, JR MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF BOOSTER MOTORSOR AUXILIARY PROPULSION UNITS- Filed Feb, 21, 1924 BY KWW ATTOR EYPatented Nov. 8, 1927.

UNITED ItlGHARID J. MoCARTY JR OF ALBANY, I' IEW' YORK, AS$TG1IOR, MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, T0 BETHLEHEIJI STEEL CUMEANY, A COEZEORATIfiN OFEENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF BOOSTER IJIOTORS 0R AUXILIARYEROPULSION UNITS.

Application filed February 21, 1924.

This invention relates to an improved means for controlling theoperation ofbooster motors or auxiliary propulsion units and isprimarily designed for the purpose of automatically governing the supplyof steam or other energizing medium to the booster motor cylinders andeffecting a proper entrainment of the driving shaft of the motor withthe axle to be driven thereby.

In an application filed by John A. Mc- Grew and James T. Loree onDecember 15th, 1921 Serial No. 522 525, there is described and claimedsuch an automatic control means for vehicle propulsion units orlocomotive boosters wherein a pressure actuated piston valve is directlyinterposed in the steam supply line leading to the booster cylinders,said valve piston being op-eratively connected to a movable entrainingnear where y. under the initial pressure influence ot the steam. saidvalve piston is moved to effect an initial slow speed operation of thebooster motor so that the entrainino; gear" is positively rotated by thedriving shatt at approximately the speed of rotation ot the gear on thetruck axle as thecntraininpg gear is moved into enmeshed relation withthe gear on said axle. When tull entrainment of the gears takes place,said valve piston is in such a position as to permit of the free passageof steam in maximum volume to the booster cylinders so that the boosteris operated at high speed. This specific single automatic valve controlfor the booster motor is also fully described and specifically claimedin Patent No. 1.4473552. granted to the said John A. McGrew and James T.Loree on March 6th, 1923.

It is the primary object and purpose of the present invention to provideanother automatic control means for such booster motors whereby the sameinitial idling operation ofthe booster during the entraining action besecured, the said means being also actuated solely by the pressureinfluence of the steam supplied to the booster motor cylinders. In thepresent instance, however, I provide separate means for operating thecntraining year and for controlling the supply oi motive fluid. to thebooster cylinders in lieu of the single automatic control valve as showninsaid patent above reterred to. Further, in the present instance. thecylinder with the piston operating therein connected Serial No. 694,187.

to the entraining gear is not located directly in the steam supply linebut is spaced there from and has a branch pipe connection with the steamsupply pipe. Therefore, it will be appreciated that it is not necessaryto locate the booster steam supply pipe conti p uous to the entraininggear, but said pipe might be arranged in any other convenient locationso that there will be ample clearance space above the ties or the otherparts oi the road bed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a very simplemeans whereby the quantity of steam initially admitted to the boostermotors maybe varied and the idling speed of the booster regulatedaccordingly. f

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theimproved control means tor booster motors and in the form. constructionand relative arrangement oi the several parts thereof will behereinafter more fully described illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and subsequent.

ly incorporated in the subi'oined claims.

In the drawing" whereinI have illustrated more or less diagrammatically.one practical embodiment 'ot the present improvements and in whichsimilar reference characters oesionate corresponding parts throughouttle several views: c

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating; the severalelements of the automatic control means in their normal relativepositions and with the booster disentrained from the axle it is todrive; and

Figure 2 is similar view showing the parts ot the control means afterthey have operated to first entrain the booster driving shaft with thetruck axle and then supply steam in maximum volume to the booster motorcylinders.

lhc automatic motor control mechanism which I shall presently describein detail. was primarily designed for the purpose of automaticallyettectino: an operative connect on or entrainment of a booster motordrivino; shaft with one of the truck axles constituting" a load bearingor sustainingaxle for the tender of a locomotive. However, in so far asmy present improvement/s are concerned, the booster motor may he usedfor positively driving one of the axles of the pilot or trailer truck ofthe locomotive or the truck axle of any one of the train carriages, thepurpose being to provide means for increasing tractive power and aidingthe main engine of the locomotive in the propr sion of the train at lowspeeds, as in stir g from a t rminal or upon controlling grades.

In the accompanying drawing 1 have illustrated only so much of thebooster motor and the truck with which it is associated, as will enablethe nature of my improvements to be clearly understood. Accordingly, Ihave shown merely the spaced truck axles 5 and 6 upon the opposite endsof which the weight supporting wheels 7 and 8 respectively, engaged uponthe track rails, are secured in any approved manner. The booster motorincludes cylinders of suitable. dimensions, one of which is indicated at9, the pistons operating within said cylinders having suitable drivingconnections (not shown) with a drive shaft 10. Preferably. 1 mount orarrange this booster or propulsion unit between and upon the spacedaxles 5 and 6 in the manner shown in the patent granted to John is.lilcGrew ann James T. lhoree on April 11. 1929,, no. 1,412,250.

The drive shaft 10 is arranged contiguous to and in parallel relationwith the truck axle 6 but normally has no driving connection therewith.For the purpose of entraining said driving shaft with the axle 6 toii'npart a positive driving impulse to the latter, any suitable type ofdisengageable gearing might be employed. However, l have herein shown aconventional type of such gearing consisting of a gear element 11 fixedupon the driving shaft 10 and a gear element 12 lined upon the axle 6.An idler gear 13 is in constant mesh with driving gear 11 and is mountedfor planetary movement as well as axial rotation in one fork of anangular rocker member 14 which is mounted for oscillating movement uponthe drive shaft 10.

Steam is supplied to the booster motor cylinders through the pipe 15which is preferably connected to the superheated steam supply pipesexteriorly of the locomotive boiler which supply the main enginecylinders with superheated steam. A cylinder 16 is suitably mounted andarranged in spaced relation to the steam supply pipe 15 and at one ofits ends is connected to said supply pipe by means of the branch pipe17. A piston 18 reciprocates in this cylinder and has a rod 19operatively connected to the other arm of: the rocker member 14. Thepiston 18 is urged in one direction in said cylinder to its normalposition by means of a suitable spring 20.

The steam supply pipe 15 is connected to one side of a second cylinder21 intermediate the ends thereof, said cylinder being located betweenthe cylinder 16 and the motor neas ae cylinders 9. Said cylinders areconnected to the cylinder 21 through the mcdiun'i of the pipe 22, thepoint of connection of said pipe to the cylinder 21 being longitudinallyspaced from the point of connection of the supply pipe 15 to saidcylinder. The pipe 22 also connected with the cylinder 21 by means of aby-pass connection 23, in which there is preferably arranged aremovableoriliced plug The diameter of the orifice deteru'iines the volume ofsteam passing from the cylinder 21 through the by-pass connection andhence through pipe to the booster cylinders. it will, however, beunderstood that by providing interchan eable plugs hav ing orificesdiflerent di cters, an initial idling operation of the motor at variousspeeds may be obtained.

Tn the cylinder 21 a balanced piston having spaced heads and 26respectively, is arranged, said heads bein connected by the rod or stem27 which. e ,euds through one end of the cylinder 21. and is operativelyconnected to one end of a lever .28 which is fulcrumed intermediate ofits ends as at 29 upon a suitable supporting bracket. The other end ofthis lever is operatively con nected to the end of rod 19 of the piston18 which operates in the c inder 16, the arm of rocker member 14: beii 5connected to said rod at a point intermediwe of its ends, as clearlyshown in the drawi .g ii. coil spring 29 surrounds the lower end ot therod 27 below the piston head and bears against the lower end wall of thecylinder 21. This spring, however, is not essential and may be dispensedwith, if desired.

I also preferably provide a circulation bypass connection 30 between thelower end of cylinder 16 and said supply pipe 15 at a point intermediatethe branch connection 17 and the cylinder 21. This by-pass 30 insuresthe continuous circulation of live steam through the cylinder 1; so thata steady and continuous pressure will be exerted against the piston 18.

In the operation of the device above described, assuming that the partsare in the normal position shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, when themain throttle valve is opened to supply steam to the main enginecylinders, steam also passes through pipe 15 and into the upper end.portion of the eylinder 21, from which it passes in small volume throughthe orificed plug l and by-pass 23 to the pipe 22 and thence to themotor cylinders. By thus initially admitting a small quantity of steamto the cylinders 9, the booster motor is idly operated at low speed,thus imparting slow rotation to the driving shaft 10 and gear 11 thereonwhereby the power transmitting gear 13 is also rotated upon its axis, atapproximately the speed of rotation of the fixed gear 12 on the axle 6.The cumulative pressure influence of the steam which builds up in theupper portion of cylinder 21, pipe 15and the branch connection 17'to thecylinder 16, during thls idling operation of the motor acts against thepiston 1.8 in said cylinder 1-6, moving the same against the pressure ofspring 20 whereby the member 14 is rocked to impart a planetary movementto the idler gear 13, while it is being rotated upon its axis, and thuseffecting a proper and full meshing engagement of this rotating idlergear with the rotating gear 12 on the axle 6 so that the gear 13 thusbecomes a positive power transmitting element imparting a drivingimpulse to said axle. The cumulative steam pressure thus also operatesat the same time through the lever connection 28 with the upper end ofthe piston rod 27 to force the piston in cylinder 21 downwardly to theposition shown in Figure 2 of the drawing in which the pipes 15 and 22are placed in direct open communication with each other through saidcylinder so that a full or maximum quantity of steam will then besupplied through the pipes 15 and 22 to the motor cylinders 9. Thus, itis apparent that as soon as a full intermeshing engagement orentrainment of the idler gear 13 with the axle gear 12 is obtained, thebooster motor will be operated at full power, thereby positively drivingaxle 6 and producing a tractive effort upon the rails in proportion tothe power output of said motor. Such additional tractive eliiort is adistinct supplement and aid to the main locomotive engine to acceleratemovement of the train from ter minals or on grades, it being understoodthat at comparatively low speeds there is a considerable surpluspotential steam energy in the locomotive boiler which is not consumed indriving the main engine.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation and severaladvantages of my present improvements will be clearly and fullyunderstood. It willbe seen that I have succeeded in providing meanswhereby the steam pressure actuated piston for the booster entraininggear may be arranged comparatively remote from the steam supply pipe 15for the motor cylinders, while at the same time a proper initial idlingoperation of the motor during the entraining operation with a subsequentfull speed operation thereof is secured, whereby the possibility ofstripping or mutilating the teeth of the entraining gears is obviated.-While Ihave illustrated and described one adaptation of my inventionwhich I believe to be entirely practical, it is nevertheless to beunderstood that the device might also be exemplified in otheralternative structures and I, therefore, reserve the privilege ofresorting to all such legitimate changes in the form, proportion mentmovable to and from an entrained posi tion, a steam supply pipe for thebooster m0- tor cylinders, a cylinder in communication with the supplypipe, a steam pressure actuated piston in said cylinder operativelyconnected with said power transmitting element, and means arrangedbetween said cylinder and the booster motor cylinders to initiallysupply steam in small quantity to said cylinders and efliect an idlingoperation of the motor during the entraining action and to thereaftersupply steam in greater quantity to the booster cylinders to effect afull power operation of the booster, said means including a movablepiston, and an operative connection between said pistons whereby theyare simultaneously actuated by the cumulative pressure influence of thesteam during the idling operation of the inotor.

2. In combination with a booster motor, means for entraining saidbooster motor with said axle including a power transmitting elementmovable to and from an entrained position, a steam supply pipe for thebooster motor cylinders, a cylinder in communication with the supplypipe, a steam pressure actuated piston in said cylinder operativelyconnected with said power transmitting element, and means arrangedbetween said cylinder and the booster motor cylinders to initiallysupply steam in small quantity to said cylinders and effect an idlingoperation of the motor during the entraining action and to thereaftersupply steam in greater quantity to the booster cylinders to effect afull power operation of the booster, said means including a movablepiston, an operative connection between said pistons whereby they aresimultaneously actuated by the cumulative pressure influence of thesteam during the idling operation of the motor, and means whereby theidling speed of the booster motor may be variably regulated.

3. In combination with a booster motor, means for entraining saidbooster motor with said axle including a power transmitting elementmovable to and from an entrained position, a steam supply pipe for thebooster motor cylinders, a cylinder in communication with the supplypipe, a steam pressure actuated piston in said cylinder operativelyconnected with said power transmitting element, and means arrangedbetween said cylinder and the booster motor cylinders to initiallysupply steam in small quantity to said cylinders: and effect an eaaoeeidling" operation of the motor during the enrespective ends to saidpistons whereby the training action and to thereafter supply latter aresimultaneously actuated by the steam in greater quantity to the boostercylcumulative pressure influence of the steam 10 inders to effect a fullpower operation of the during the idling operation of the motor.

5 booster, said means including a movable In testimony that I claim theforegoing as piston, and a lever fulcrumed intermediate my invention, 1have signed my name hereto. of its ends and operatively connected at itsRICHARD J. MGCARTY, JR.

